Additionally, the suggestion that one is 'spiritual' and not Religious, generally means one does not follow any 'sectarian' Religion, but some take it a step further and suggest that Religion itself doesn't even lead to spirituality which is ridiculous.
Life itself leads to spirituality, true religion merely speeds up the progress, and a religion with the component of a scientific meditation practice like TM, even more, that is all. Spirituality is the efflorescence of Religion, did not Christ say, "The harvest is plentiful but the 'laborers' are few"? Religion provides the guidelines for the 'labor' one must do. Meditation (as one of those labors) is one means (of Patanjali's eight) to unfold that spirituality, and what is spirituality? it's the manifestation of God like qualities, love, compassion, forgiveness. Once you achieve 'spirituality' you no longer need Religion! (You don't even need your body). (In Yoga, samadhi is both the end AND the means). --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wgm4u" <anitaoaks4u@...> wrote: > > Some people like to say that they are 'spiritual' as opposed to being > 'Religious', but that is ridiculous as spirituality is the bi-product of > Religion. > > Religion is the means and Spirituality is the end! Meditation is a tool of > Religion, it's not the Religion itself, much like a steering wheel of a car, > you wouldn't say the steering wheel IS the car but it is an instrumental PART > Of the car. Like that, TM is a tool of Religion, you may call it a Religious > Science as it comes from the *eternal Religion of the Vedas* MMY, the > Sanatana Dharma. > > Some people would suggest to you perhaps that they mean they are not a part > of a 'sectarian' Religion!, but sincere souls that practice their 'sectarian' > Religion BECOME spiritual just like meditators that practice TM BECOME > spiritual. One may be more effective and some may be mere dogma, this is > true, but a sincere soul attracts spirituality in whatever 'Religion' or > 'means' he/she may practice, IMHO. > > In short, TM is a Religious tool of the eternal Religion of the Vedas, "This > is the greatest blessing of the Vedas, this system of meditation is the > greatest blessing of the Vedas", MMY, the Vedas (booklet 1964). > > (Generally, you don't BECOME spiritual without practicing some form of > Religion, today, most people who claim to be 'spiritual' (as opposed to > Religious) *ARE* practicing some from of discipline i.e. RELIGION). > > PS They also tend to look down their noses at sectarian Religious people, > seeing themselves as being SUPERIOR. >